Large-Class Strategies

1. Large-Class Strategies David E. Meltzer Department of Physics and Astronomy ISU

2. Outline • Motivation and description of active-engagement teaching strategy. • Watch video (18 minutes): pauses for comments and questions • Describe details of questioning strategies • Group work: Work with others in your (or related) discipline to create question sequences.

3. Outline • Motivation and description of active-engagement teaching strategy. • Watch video (18 minutes): pauses for comments and questions • Describe details of questioning strategies • Group work: Work with others in your (or related) discipline to create question sequences.

4. Outline • Motivation and description of active-engagement teaching strategy. • Watch video (18 minutes): pauses for comments and questions • Describe details of questioning strategies • Group work: Work with others in your (or related) discipline to create question sequences.

5. Outline • Motivation and description of active-engagement teaching strategy. • Watch video (18 minutes): pauses for comments and questions • Describe details of questioning strategies • Group work: Work with others in your (or related) discipline to create question sequences.

6. Outline • Motivation and description of active-engagement teaching strategy. • Watch video (18 minutes): pauses for comments and questions • Describe details of questioning strategies • Group work: Work with others in your (or related) discipline to create question sequences.

7. Research in physics education and other scientific and technical fields suggests that: • “Teaching by telling” has only limited effectiveness • listening and note-taking have relatively little impact • Problem-solving activities with rapid feedback yield improved learning gains • student group work • frequent question-and-answer exchanges with instructor Goal: Guide students to “figure things out for themselves” as much as possible

8. Research in physics education and other scientific and technical fields suggests that: • “Teaching by telling” has only limited effectiveness • listening and note-taking have relatively little impact • Problem-solving activities with rapid feedback yield improved learning gains • student group work • frequent question-and-answer exchanges with instructor Goal: Guide students to “figure things out for themselves” as much as possible

9. Research in physics education and other scientific and technical fields suggests that: • “Teaching by telling” has only limited effectiveness • listening and note-taking have relatively little impact • Problem-solving activities with rapid feedback yield improved learning gains • student group work • frequent question-and-answer exchanges with instructor Goal: Guide students to “figure things out for themselves” as much as possible

10. Research in physics education and other scientific and technical fields suggests that: • “Teaching by telling” has only limited effectiveness • listening and note-taking have relatively little impact • Problem-solving activities with rapid feedback yield improved learning gains • student group work • frequent question-and-answer exchanges with instructor Goal: Guide students to “figure things out for themselves” as much as possible

11. Research in physics education and other scientific and technical fields suggests that: • “Teaching by telling” has only limited effectiveness • listening and note-taking have relatively little impact • Problem-solving activities with rapid feedback yield improved learning gains • student group work • frequent question-and-answer exchanges with instructor Goal: Guide students to “figure things out for themselves” as much as possible

12. Research in physics education and other scientific and technical fields suggests that: • “Teaching by telling” has only limited effectiveness • listening and note-taking have relatively little impact • Problem-solving activities with rapid feedback yield improved learning gains • student group work • frequent question-and-answer exchanges with instructor Goal: Guide students to “figure things out for themselves” as much as possible

13. What needs to go on in class? • Clear and organized presentation by instructor is not at all sufficient • Must find ways to guide students to synthesize concepts in their own minds • Instructor’s role becomes that of guiding students to ask and answer useful questions • aid students to work their way through complex chains of thought

14. What needs to go on in class? • Clear and organized presentation by instructor is not at all sufficient • Must find ways to guide students to synthesize concepts in their own minds • Instructor’s role becomes that of guiding students to ask and answer useful questions • aid students to work their way through complex chains of thought

15. What needs to go on in class? • Clear and organized presentation by instructor is not at all sufficient • Must find ways to guide students to synthesize concepts in their own minds • Instructor’s role becomes that of guiding students to ask and answer useful questions • aid students to work their way through complex chains of thought

16. What needs to go on in class? • Clear and organized presentation by instructor is not at all sufficient • Must find ways to guide students to synthesize concepts in their own minds • Instructor’s role becomes that of guiding students to ask and answer useful questions • aid students to work their way through complex chains of thought

17. What needs to go on in class? • Clear and organized presentation by instructor is not at all sufficient • Must find ways to guide students to synthesize concepts in their own minds • Instructor’s role becomes that of guiding students to ask and answer useful questions • aid students to work their way through complex chains of thought

18. The Biggest Challenge: Large Lecture Classes • Very difficult to sustain active learning in large classroom environments • Two-way communication between students and instructor becomes paramount obstacle • Curriculum development must be matched to innovative instructional methods Example: Curriculum and Instruction in Algebra-based Physics

19. The Biggest Challenge: Large Lecture Classes • Very difficult to sustain active learning in large classroom environments • Two-way communication between students and instructor becomes paramount obstacle • Curriculum development must be matched to innovative instructional methods Example: Curriculum and Instruction in Algebra-based Physics

20. The Biggest Challenge: Large Lecture Classes • Very difficult to sustain active learning in large classroom environments • Two-way communication between students and instructor becomes paramount obstacle • Curriculum development must be matched to innovative instructional methods Example: Curriculum and Instruction in Algebra-based Physics

21. The Biggest Challenge: Large Lecture Classes • Very difficult to sustain active learning in large classroom environments • Two-way communication between students and instructor becomes paramount obstacle • Curriculum development must be matched to innovative instructional methods Example: Curriculum and Instruction in Algebra-based Physics

22. Active Learning in Large Physics Classes • De-emphasis of lecturing; Instead, ask students to respond to many questions. • Use of classroom communication systems to obtain instantaneous feedback from entire class. • Cooperative group work using carefully structured free-response worksheets Goal: Transform large-class learning environment into “office” learning environment (i.e., instructor + one or two students)

23. Active Learning in Large Physics Classes • De-emphasis of lecturing; Instead, ask students to respond to many questions. • Use of classroom communication systems to obtain instantaneous feedback from entire class. • Cooperative group work using carefully structured free-response worksheets Goal: Transform large-class learning environment into “office” learning environment (i.e., instructor + one or two students)

24. Active Learning in Large Physics Classes • De-emphasis of lecturing; Instead, ask students to respond to many questions. • Use of classroom communication systems to obtain instantaneous feedback from entire class. • Cooperative group work using carefully structured free-response worksheets Goal: Transform large-class learning environment into “office” learning environment (i.e., instructor + one or two students)

25. Active Learning in Large Physics Classes • De-emphasis of lecturing; Instead, ask students to respond to many questions. • Use of classroom communication systems to obtain instantaneous feedback from entire class. • Cooperative group work using carefully structured free-response worksheets Goal: Transform large-class learning environment into “office” learning environment (i.e., instructor + one or two students)

26. Active Learning in Large Physics Classes • De-emphasis of lecturing; Instead, ask students to respond to many questions. • Use of classroom communication systems to obtain instantaneous feedback from entire class. • Cooperative group work using carefully structured free-response worksheets Goal: Transform large-class learning environment into “office” learning environment (i.e., instructor + one or two students)

27. Active Learning in Large Physics Classes • De-emphasis of lecturing; Instead, ask students to respond to many questions. • Use of classroom communication systems to obtain instantaneous feedback from entire class. • Cooperative group work using carefully structured free-response worksheets Goal: Transform large-class learning environment into “office” learning environment (i.e., instructor + one or two students)

28. “Fully Interactive” Physics LectureDEM and K. Manivannan, Am. J. Phys. 70, 639 (2002) • Very high levels of student-student and student-instructor interaction • Simulate one-on-one dialogue of instructor’s office • Use numerous structured question sequences, focused on specific concept: small conceptual “step size” • Use student response system to obtain instantaneous responses from all students simultaneously (e.g., “flash cards”) • Extension to highly interactive physics demonstrations (K. Manivannan and DEM, Proc. of PER Conf. 2001) v

29. “Fully Interactive” Physics LectureDEM and K. Manivannan, Am. J. Phys. 70, 639 (2002) • Very high levels of student-student and student-instructor interaction • Simulate one-on-one dialogue of instructor’s office • Use numerous structured question sequences, focused on specific concept: small conceptual “step size” • Use student response system to obtain instantaneous responses from all students simultaneously (e.g., “flash cards”) • Extension to highly interactive physics demonstrations (K. Manivannan and DEM, Proc. of PER Conf. 2001) v

30. “Fully Interactive” Physics LectureDEM and K. Manivannan, Am. J. Phys. 70, 639 (2002) • Very high levels of student-student and student-instructor interaction • Simulate one-on-one dialogue of instructor’s office • Use numerous structured question sequences, focused on specific concept: small conceptual “step size” • Use student response system to obtain instantaneous responses from all students simultaneously (e.g., “flash cards”) • Extension to highly interactive physics demonstrations (K. Manivannan and DEM, Proc. of PER Conf. 2001) v

31. “Fully Interactive” Physics LectureDEM and K. Manivannan, Am. J. Phys. 70, 639 (2002) • Very high levels of student-student and student-instructor interaction • Simulate one-on-one dialogue of instructor’s office • Use numerous structured question sequences, focused on specific concept: small conceptual “step size” • Use student response system to obtain instantaneous responses from all students simultaneously (e.g., “flash cards”) • Extension to highly interactive physics demonstrations (K. Manivannan and DEM, Proc. of PER Conf. 2001) v

32. “Fully Interactive” Physics LectureDEM and K. Manivannan, Am. J. Phys. 70, 639 (2002) • Very high levels of student-student and student-instructor interaction • Simulate one-on-one dialogue of instructor’s office • Use numerous structured question sequences, focused on specific concept: small conceptual “step size” • Use student response system to obtain instantaneous responses from all students simultaneously (e.g., “flash cards”) • Extension to highly interactive physics demonstrations (K. Manivannan and DEM, Proc. of PER Conf. 2001) v

34. Features of the Interactive Lecture • High frequency of questioning • Must often create unscripted questions • Easy questions used to maintain flow • Many question variants are possible • Instructor must be prepared to use diverse questioning strategies

35. Features of the Interactive Lecture • High frequency of questioning • Must often create unscripted questions • Easy questions used to maintain flow • Many question variants are possible • Instructor must be prepared to use diverse questioning strategies

36. Features of the Interactive Lecture • High frequency of questioning • Must often create unscripted questions • Easy questions used to maintain flow • Many question variants are possible • Instructor must be prepared to use diverse questioning strategies

37. Features of the Interactive Lecture • High frequency of questioning • Must often create unscripted questions • Easy questions used to maintain flow • Many question variants are possible • Instructor must be prepared to use diverse questioning strategies

38. Features of the Interactive Lecture • High frequency of questioning • Must often create unscripted questions • Easy questions used to maintain flow • Many question variants are possible • Instructor must be prepared to use diverse questioning strategies

39. Features of the Interactive Lecture • High frequency of questioning • Must often create unscripted questions • Easy questions used to maintain flow • Many question variants are possible • Instructor must be prepared to use diverse questioning strategies

40. Video (18 minutes) • Excerpt from class taught at Southeastern Louisiana University in 1997 • Algebra-based general physics course • First Part: Students respond to questions written on blackboard. • Second Part: Students respond to questions printed in their workbook.

41. Video (18 minutes) • Excerpt from class taught at Southeastern Louisiana University in 1997 • Algebra-based general physics course • First Part: Students respond to questions written on blackboard. • Second Part: Students respond to questions printed in their workbook.

42. Video (18 minutes) • Excerpt from class taught at Southeastern Louisiana University in 1997 • Algebra-based general physics course • First Part: Students respond to questions written on blackboard. • Second Part: Students respond to questions printed in their workbook.

43. Video (18 minutes) • Excerpt from class taught at Southeastern Louisiana University in 1997 • Algebra-based general physics course • First Part: Students respond to questions written on blackboard. • Second Part: Students respond to questions printed in their workbook.

44. Video (18 minutes) • Excerpt from class taught at Southeastern Louisiana University in 1997 • Algebra-based general physics course • First Part: Students respond to questions written on blackboard. • Second Part: Students respond to questions printed in their workbook.

45. Features of the Interactive Lecture • High frequency of questioning • Must often create unscripted questions • Easy questions used to maintain flow • Many question variants are possible • Instructor must be prepared to use diverse questioning strategies

46. High frequency of questioning • Time per question can be as little as 15 seconds, as much as several minutes. • similar to rhythm of one-on-one tutoring • Maintain small conceptual “step size” between questions for high-precision feedback on student understanding.

47. High frequency of questioning • Time per question can be as little as 15 seconds, as much as several minutes. • similar to rhythm of one-on-one tutoring • Maintain small conceptual “step size” between questions for high-precision feedback on student understanding.

48. High frequency of questioning • Time per question can be as little as 15 seconds, as much as several minutes. • similar to rhythm of one-on-one tutoring • Maintain small conceptual “step size” between questions for high-precision feedback on student understanding.

49. High frequency of questioning • Time per question can be as little as 15 seconds, as much as several minutes. • similar to rhythm of one-on-one tutoring • Maintain small conceptual “step size” between questions for high-precision feedback on student understanding.

50. Must often create unscripted questions • Not possible to pre-determine all possible discussion paths • Knowledge of probable conceptual sticking points is important • Make use of standard question variants • Write question and answer options on board (but can delay writing answers, give time for thought)